I hold an ActiveIQ Trainer and Assessor qualification which is a nationally recognised UK credential that formally qualifies me to train and assess other professionals. This sits outside the yoga industry's self-regulation model entirely. I also hold a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga (QCF) and a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Pilates (QCF), both regulated by Ofqual within the UK government's national qualifications framework. I've been teaching since 2012 and have over 20 years of personal practice. I am also a E-RYT 500 teacher, with ability to provide YACEP.

Most yoga teacher training operates within industry self-regulation, bodies that set and verify their own standards. My qualifications sit within the UK government's national education framework, regulated externally by Ofqual. As a social scientist with a PhD, I also bring an evidence-informed, critically analytical approach to yoga education that most training programmes simply don't offer. I understand what rigorous assessment looks like from the inside and I've built this training to reflect that.

Yes. I am a registered YACEP provider, Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. Hours completed with me are eligible to count toward your Yoga Alliance continuing education requirements. Combined with the fact that my teaching qualifications sit within the UK government's national framework regulated by Ofqual, this is one of the most rigorously credentialled continuing education options available to yoga teachers.

Yes. I teach weekly in person in Orkney and online. My Studio Pilates classes are currently fully booked with a waitlist and I teach Yoga online each month along with my hybrid seasonal yoga session. I'm not a teacher who stopped teaching to train teachers, everything I teach comes from current, live practice

I hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Online Teaching from the Open University. The course structure, pacing and learning design aren't accidental, they're informed by formal postgraduate study in how people actually learn in online environments. That's unusual in the yoga education space and it matters for your experience as a learner.

Dr. Adele Lidderdale is a yoga teacher, Yoga Nidra specialist and Pilates instructor based in Orkney, Scotland. She holds a PhD in policy science, a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga and a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Pilates — both QCF regulated and nationally recognised by the UK government. She is an E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance, an ActiveIQ qualified Trainer and Assessor, and has been teaching since 2012 with over 20 years of personal practice. She teaches online and in person.

yoga Nidra is a guided practice of systematic relaxation that leads you to the threshold between waking and sleep. Unlike physical yoga, you don't move — you lie down and are guided through layers of awareness that allow the nervous system to genuinely rest and reset. It has roots in ancient tantric practice and is increasingly supported by neuroscience research into non-sleep deep rest. It's one of the most effective tools available for stress, sleep difficulties and anxiety — and one of the most underestimated.

No. Classes at with Adele are designed to meet you where you actually are, not where you think you should be. Whether you've never tried yoga or you've been practising for years, the approach is the same — depth over difficulty, understanding over performance. Complete beginners are welcome.

Most online yoga is taught by instructors certified through short, commercially-driven courses. Adele holds QCF regulated teaching diplomas — the same nationally recognised framework as other professional UK teaching qualifications — alongside a PhD and 13 years of teaching experience. She is also a qualified Trainer and Assessor, which means she understands what rigorous, accountable teaching actually looks like. The result is teaching that is genuinely injury-informed, philosophically grounded, and built for long-term practice rather than short-term trends.

Adele teaches online worldwide and in person in Orkney, Scotland. Online classes are live and recorded, meaning you can practice from anywhere at a time that suits you. In-person Studio Pilates classes in Orkney are currently fully booked with a waitlist — you can join the waitlist to be notified of availability.

If you're drawn to rest, nervous system regulation or deeper understanding of what yoga is for — start with Yoga Nidra. If you want to build strength, improve posture and move with more ease — Studio Pilates is the place to begin. If you want both, the online membership gives you access to the full range laid out on an easy to follow calendar.

Still not sure? Get in touch and Adele will point you in the right direction.

• PhD — Policy Science

• PGCert Online Teaching — Open University

• Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga (QCF) — Ofqual regulated

• Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Pilates (QCF) — Ofqual regulated

• ActiveIQ Trainer & Assessor — nationally recognised

• YACEP — Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider

• E-RYT 500 — Yoga Alliance's highest teaching designation

• Teaching since 2012 — 20+ years practice